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Need a custom hot shoe to pc cord


hankg

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Well I contacted Michael Bass and in a day he had knocked up a working prototype from my text description. He has some refinements in mind but his first effort works just fine for me.

 

I also got my Viso back from Brightscreen with a plain screen with 1.33 crops. I'm ready to do some studio portraits with the 135/4 tele-elmar that just arrived.

I use my Viso for studio macros and this looks an ideal solution

the chimney finder seems a bit clumsy in its height ...I have used a Preen slide viewer loupe against the ground glass instead, but would much prefer this solution ...I emailed Michael Bass ...hopefully he will work this out

the 135/4 Tele Elmar is too good a lens not to use and works perfectly with bellows on the Viso

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x

Permission to ask a really dumb question? I rarely use flash, but have the Canon 550 EX from my DSLR set up. Am I right in assuming that there's no way in which some of you clever guys could help connect this usefully to the M8? Sort of sure there isn't, but it never hurt to ask (and reveal your ignorance...) We can only learn can't we... I have the no useless SF20 and really don't feel like buying yet another flash when I use it so infrequently...

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Hi Chris

You just put it on the M8 and use it in manual mode. I do that a lot with or without bouncing. just dial in the flash output amount.........

Toke

 

Toke - thanks - I'll give it a whirl ... Is it only the Metz that can pick up the TTL info?

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I confess to being a little confused by this thread so forgive me if my contribution is irrelevant to some peoples needs. Like others, I too think it was dumb of Leica to forego a flash connector on the M8 [ by the way, what does PC stand for in this context?]. I might have the answer for people wanting to fire tethered flash using manual flash settings. I'm in the UK, a couple of years ago I bought a small connector that fits into any hot shoe, it has a 'cold' shoe on top so a finder can be used with it, and a customary flash cable connection on the camera-rear side. The connector was bought from Jessops, was inexpensive, and I have used it with my Nikon, but don't know if my powerful Sunpak flashgun would have damaging voltages for the M8.

 

Sorry, but I am unable to post an image of the connector. If this post is irrelevant, you have my apologies.

 

..................Chris

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Perhaps a brief reminder here will be helpful to some:

 

The Microsyncs only spec to sync up to 1/180th with a focal plane shutter.

 

MicroSync Digital - Specifications

 

May or may not be a problem, but it is, I would think, something useful to remember if you use them.

 

I can confirm that they will not work at 1/250th on the M8. 1/125 is fine.

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I can confirm that they will not work at 1/250th on the M8. 1/125 is fine.

 

Umm, I have two MicroSync Digital wireless strobe systems and use them all the time on the M8 at 1/250th. In fact, I just got back from a shoot tonight in which I was using them at 1/250th.

 

They'll work at 1/250th and anything below.

 

 

Geoff

myspace.com/geoffotos

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Umm, I have two MicroSync Digital wireless strobe systems and use them all the time on the M8 at 1/250th. In fact, I just got back from a shoot tonight in which I was using them at 1/250th.

 

They'll work at 1/250th and anything below.

 

 

Geoff

myspace.com/geoffotos

 

With Broncolor Pulso power pack and strobes and the microsync it won't sync at 250. If you are mixing ambient and flash it might not be obvious and perhaps a flash with a longer duration might work. Here are 2 consecutive shots I took 250 and 125 while setting up lights for a shoot for a new ad campaign. And another taken at1/250 while setting up lights to take a snapshot of my daughter in her kindergarten graduation get up.

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Michael Bass, et al,

 

I have been thinking about the missing pc adapter on the M8 and the need to squeeze under a Visi rig.

 

Michael, is it feasible to take a shoe mount, like you show on the first page, from under a Viso with a 3- or 4-foot connector terminating in another hot shoe with the same set of connnectors that are on the M8 (and therefore all the functionality), and with a pc-adapter at that remote end?

 

This would be a very useful accessory for me.

 

As an extra, it would be nice to have a double shoe on the M8 (level plus finder, for example) and the above-described cord detachable.

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With Broncolor Pulso power pack and strobes and the microsync it won't sync at 250. If you are mixing ambient and flash it might not be obvious and perhaps a flash with a longer duration might work. Here are 2 consecutive shots I took 250 and 125 while setting up lights for a shoot for a new ad campaign. And another taken at1/250 while setting up lights to take a snapshot of my daughter in her kindergarten graduation get up.

 

 

Hank,

 

Very interesting. I have not experienced the light fall off at all as exhibited in your example. However, I'm not shooting with studio strobes, but out in the field with one or two eFlash units. All of my in door nightlife work is done with this setup.

 

 

Geoff

myspace.com/geoffotos

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Hi Bill (et al),

 

Bill, I sent you an e-mail before I was allowed to post here...

 

Here is a link to a picture on my site of my 3rd generation Low Profile Hot Shoe Pickup, that can locked into place, and allow the cord to come out in any direction. It is less than 0.25 inches in height to fit under the Visoflex finder for both Barry S and Hank G. It is X-sync only, as the original request was to connect to a radio transmitter.

 

Low Profile Pickup

 

The cord can have pretty much any type of plug (or jack) on the end, and I have extensions that can place the non-dedicated hot shoe at most any length away from the camera so a flash can be used in a manual mode at a distance like an OCC (Off Camera Cord).

 

To make something having the 3 extra data contacts like in the SC-17 OCC is indeed possible, although I haven't worked on this yet. I don't believe I can use the same design (and minimal height) as in the current one I have made.

 

Is the problem that you would like to use the Visoflex finder and are limited to the minimal clearance? It would seem that the SC-17 cord would be fine, as it already has the matching contacts for the Leica M8, although I think it needs one corner of the plastic foot to be filed in order to fit correctly in the camera hot shoe, correct? The SC-17 is closer to 0.5 inches high, more than 2x the height of my Low Profile Hot Shoe Pickup.

 

Does Leica make any kind of an OCC that is shorter in height than the older SC-17 that I could modify?

 

Happy to help if possible!

 

Michael

Michael Bass Designs

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  • 4 weeks later...

Michael Bass just modified the Voigtlander Double Shoe adapter for me and turned it into a Hot shoe adapter. You can see photos of his handywork here:

CustomHotShoe.jpg (image)

 

I don't want to get into a big discussion about using a flash with a Leica, there are times that I need to use it for work and this little adapter makes my work that much easier and paralax free.

 

Michael's website is:

Michael Bass Designs

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